The essence of grand opera, tenor brilliance and power. And above all...beauty.

He was a pure lyric all his life in my opinion.

Han pasado 50 años y sigue siendo una voz espectacular, bellamente timbrada y perfectamente modulada.

Pavarotti at his glorious best. RIP.

His voice was pure perfection on the 70's. He was a pure lyrical tenor on this decade.

Meraviglioso unico irraggiungibile grande Luciano Riposa in pace grandissimo

wow, this is really Pav in his prime. He actually sounds quite different from how he did later in life. Fantastic control.

My parents saw him in this role in 1972. I was 2 years old at the time....they could have snuck me in! THIS is grand opera. A perfect example from one of the greatest tenors and certainly the greatest Duke!

Lucianissimo at his very best! Jesus, what a voice....still the most beautiful I ever heard. I was lucky to see him many times while still in his prime. R.I.P. Saw Licitra in "Ballo" the other night....BIG disappointment.

BRAVO! Pavarotti Rules!!!

4:25 is heavenly

This is the pinnacle, the absolute top of the mountain. True Italian lyricism at its finest, sung with pure beauty, power, and elegance. And yes, I have always agreed with those (Dame Joan Sutherland and Richard Bonynge especially) that knew he was a true lyric tenor, perfect for the bel canto roles (Elvino, Arturo, Nemorino, etc.) as well as the lighter Verdi and Puccini (Alfredo, the Duke, Rodolfo, etc.)

ohh my god. Squillo all over the place. I love it. Deafening :)

Voz gloriosa e irrepetible.

Totalmente de acuerdo.

proud to be Italian

A little sharp in the cadenza at the end of the recit... But man, oh man. He was the MAESTRO. Such gorgeos tone and a perfectly unified voice - absolutely perfect technique and beautiful phrasing. Long live the Pav, even if only in his recordings.

I love it, Domingo never tried the bflat there at the end.

we have to make difference betwen the old Pavarotti the young Pavarotti and the young and slim Pavarotti here there are the 3 case ... amazing!

yes! And yet there are people who fault his technique. They are BONKERS. His vowels are all in the same place, they spin, they resonate - it makes me happy! Negotiates the passaggio so well. Some people bitch about 'covering.' I don't get that. Call it whatever you like, that's the correct technique for moving between the registers. Do they want a singer to splat his passaggio on the wall of the opera house (along with their vocal cords which would explode with the pressure.) OY!

This is one of the best examples of Bel Canto singing.

Once in a millenium composer.Rigoletto and Traviata are works of a composer of unbounded melodic invention.

I'd say he was in the prime at this period

Grande, grande, grande... junto a Kraus, a mi gusto, los mejores duques...

he had such broad shoulders

eh I don't know, his dynamics seem quite good to me.

how did we go so wrong?

@SENAFOREVER

wow, licitra is still singing. the last time i heard him was a waste of my artistic brain. peace!

Was he sung Possente amor in this performance???

0:20

No.